Kia Ora...

This weekend is a busy one in my household. First off my daughter (as I write this) is attending her school ball and tomorrow we need to pack her bags for heading south to visit the university she'll be going to next year... and then we have to fit in all the normal weekend stuff like working and housework... phew.

On the writing front I'm in the midst of promoing my latest release (more details below) and writing the exploratory type chapters for my new wip. Exploratory chapters just means I write down everything my characters do in my head, and don't try to stop them from going off on weird tangents... lots of weird tangents that will eventually be reigned in but for now it often provides good insight into who the characters are.

Updates

• Knight is done!
• Murder and Mistletoe is finished... only need to add a blurb before sending it off to the anthology organiser!
• Have started writing Runway Riot (House of Bolton 4) and the current word count is 7k.
• Trying not to distracted by other stories clamouring for attention... Knight Forged (The Moutrams 4) might have earned another a 600 words because the characters got a little chatty.

Knight (Crime Lords 4)

The latest installment in the Crime Lords series has now been published!!

Blurb:

Theirs was the perfect marriage… no, it had been. Right up until his husband, Mao Omori, head of the Omori-Vasilev Syndicate, became obsessed with expanding the Syndicate’s power beyond the borders of Greertown. Hours spent pouring over maps and making plans turned into days, weeks, and months of Jun being ignored.

And he’s had enough.

Jun packed his bags, walked out the door, and didn’t look back. Didn’t think it was worth looking back when no one was there to notice he’d gone.

But being single wasn’t all that great either.

Drowning his sorrows night after night, Jun encounters a man who promises him a fresh start. One night together that never needed to be repeated. No names needed to be shared.

Except Jun isn’t the only one hiding secret.

And Mao refuses to let his husband walk away…

Knight is the fourth book in a dark mafia series filled with angst, violence, romantic drama, betrayal, and jealous rages, as the men of the Omori-Vasilev Syndicate fight to hold onto those they love amidst a war with an unknown enemy. The books are not standalone and must be read in order. Contains both MMM polyamory, and MM romances.

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Get the Rest of the Series Here

Charity Anthology - O Deadly Night

A Dark MM Charity Anthology

Release Date: November 15, 2022

Special Preorder Price: $3.99

https://books2read.com/ODeadlyNight

Blogger signup: https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLScWFrPBtx0lQz.../viewform

Cover design by Teased by Antonette

Blurb

Sometimes the happiest season of all is hiding the darkest secrets.

Twinkling lights and festive songs are in every shopping center and on every street corner. But what lurks in the dark alleys beyond the main street decorations? Who hides behind the joyful enthusiasts with a dangerous bah humbug attitude?

Join eleven dark MM authors as they explore the darker half of the holidays while also spreading cheer and support to LGBTQ youth.

*O Deadly Night is a Dark MM anthology with all proceeds to be donated to The Trevor Project.

Featuring stories by:

Nicholas Bella - E.B. Burns - Abrianna Denae - Elouise R East - Taylor J Gray - Mandy Greenwood - Rorie Kage - Leigh Kenzie - Davidson King - Claire Marta - Faith Ryan

Today's Welcome to Greertown is an excerpt from my latest release, Knight (Crime Lords 4).

I've loved returning to this series and visiting with some of my favourite characters. Knight, Bishop, and Pawns will focus primarily on Jun and Mao while the Syndicate deals with a new enemy threatening their position within Greertown.

Excerpt - Chapter One

Jun yanked the drawers of the dresser open and tossed clothes from them onto the bed. He couldn’t take it all, only what would fit into the duffle bag he’d retrieved from the wardrobe, enough to last him a few days. Anger drove his jerky movements, tightened the muscles of his jaw, and kept the curses tumbling from his lips. Sadness tinged his anger too as Jun removed every little bit of himself that he could from the apartment that had been his home for the last eight no, nine years. Not that there was anyone else in the apartment to hear his anger; the frustrated rants that he’d kept buried for the last few months.

But that was the problem.

For the last several months, it had begun to feel like Jun was the only person who lived in the apartment, his husband barely setting foot inside the place. Late nights working turned into early mornings, stumbling through the door with nothing more than a muttered hello before Mao collapsed onto the bed Jun had just vacated. It wasn’t much different at work now that Mao had shifted from his office to the boardroom to conduct business. In the past they’d worked closely together, Jun managing to keep Mao’s days in order and always ready with a painkiller when his husband’s migraines struck. Now though…Jun worked while the sun sat high in the sky, while Mao worked during the hours of neon and moonlight.

Jun was fucking tired of it. He’d accepted the ‘until death’ part of their vows, knowing they lived in a world where old age was a rarity, but at no point did he remember agreeing to be treated like an afterthought. Dismissed. Ignored. Forgotten. Hell, Jun couldn’t remember the last time they’d had sex or even shared the briefest of kisses. Intimacy that had once flowed easily between them had dried up and Jun couldn’t figure out how to fix it. Wasn’t sure if it was possible or even worth it.

And that’s why he had to leave.

He snorted and looked at the empty spaces in their bedroom where his things had been while wondering how long it would take for Mao to notice they were gone…that Jun was gone. Wondered too if his husband would even care.

Jun sighed, zipped up the bags he’d packed, and strode out of the bedroom. He dropped the keys to the apartment on the bench while glancing around the space to make sure he hadn’t missed anything important. There were plenty of his things still in the apartment, small mementoes that he’d want to come back for, some that were tied up with memories he’d created with Mao that Jun wasn’t sure if he wanted it all. They’d spent years together…more than a decade if he looked back to when they’d first met at the Academy, and now they had nothing. Satisfied he had everything he needed right now, Jun pocketed his phone and keys, and walked out of the apartment.

His destination…unknown.

But he couldn’t stay here.

 *

Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, Jun scrolled through a list of nearby hotels and scowled at each one. Every one that was close by either belonged to a member of the Omori-Vasilev Syndicate or were affiliated to them in some way. Jun couldn’t put distance between him and Mao if he stayed at a hotel that would quickly inform the wrong person of his whereabouts. Hotels on the outskirts of the eastern side of the city weren’t an option either. Regardless of how Jun viewed his relationship with Mao, their enemies situated there wouldn’t share it. No point risking his life simply because he was heartbroken.

He scrubbed his face and ignored the moisture collecting beneath his eyes. His marriage was over, stolen from him by Mao’s ambition and unquenchable desire to rule more than one simple city. Not that crying was going to change it.

Jun stared at his phone lying on the passenger seat where he’d thrown it and cursed, hating the excited beat of his heart as it desperately hoped the person calling was Mao. Hated too the way it plummeted hard, when he picked up the phone and saw Misaki’s name flashing on the screen.

“Whattya want, Misaki?”

“Charming as always, Jun…no, wait. I’d almost say you were grumpier than normal. Trouble at home?”

His breath stuttered at the question, a flippant teasing remark that wasn’t out of the ordinary for Misaki to make and yet today, it cut far too close to the truth. “I don’t have time for your nosey arse today, Misaki…so get to the fucking point of your call,” he snapped, fingers tightening their grip on the steering wheel.

“Mao. Where is he? We were supposed to be meeting at the club, but he’s ten minutes late…and that’s not like him.”

Jun briefly entertained the idea that Mao’s lateness had been caused by him, before dismissing it. If Mao missed him, then he’d have rung. “I’m not in the office right now. Don’t know where he is.”

“You’re his right-hand man, the keeper of his schedule, and dispenser of his fucking painkillers…what the fuck do you mean you don’t know where he is?” Misaki hissed. “You, out of anyone in the damn Syndicate should know where our illustrious boss is! What the fuck is going on?”

Cursing, he banged his head on the steering wheel, realising what he’d let slip with his vocal misstep. This was why Mao handled the negotiations and Jun provided the necessary threating presence from behind him. Delicate situations, the kind where one’s words needed to be expressed with careful consideration were the ones Jun always failed at. “Contrary to all you fucking bastards’ belief…Mao and I aren’t joined at the hip,” he ground out while praying that Misaki didn’t pry further.

“Whatever…you married the boss, it’s as good as being conjoined.” Misaki inhaled sharply and the faint sound of footsteps drifted through the phone was quickly followed by a muffled conversation before the door of Misaki’s office snicked shut. “Right, no one is going to bother us, not even your husband if he miraculously shows up…so fucking spill everything, Jun. And I mean everything. The others might not have noticed it, the strange tension between you and Mao recently, but I have.”

A strangled laugh escaped his throat, wrapped up in a shitload of tears he refused to acknowledge were sliding down his cheeks. “There’s nothing to tell. We haven’t fought. No arguments that ended in a bloodied nose, smashed plates, or resulted in the rumoured fantastic make-up sex. But then again, for any of that to happen, we’d need to be in the same room.”

“How long, Jun? How long has this been going on?”

“Fuck…I guess since we settled all that shit with the Kilpatrick Group. Mao and Masada became the best of buddies…and then he got caught up in this idea of ruling the country—a singular criminal kingdom with him on the throne. He doesn’t come home until late…if at all—and fuck, I can’t believe I’m telling you this—and it’s been weeks…months even since he’s touched me.”

Squeezing his eyes shut, Jun listened to Misaki take a deep breath and then release it slowly.

“Fuck, Jun. I can understand why you’ve left him.”

“What?” Jun straightened up, a hand reaching for the key in the ignition. “Why do you think that?”

“Don’t try to bullshit me, Jun,” Misaki growled. “Don’t forget whose eyes watch over this city…and I can’t think of any other reason for you to be parked up at Jubilee Park on a fucking Wednesday night.”

“You’re a real fucking pain in the arse, you know that Misaki?” he hissed, glancing out the windows of his car and searched for any sign of cameras nearby.

“I’m paid to be.”

Jun’s shoulders slumped, and a resigned sigh slipped from his lips. “Yes, I’ve left him. No, Mao doesn’t know I’ve gone…and he probably doesn’t care.”

“We’re you headed?”

“Honestly? No fucking idea.”

“You still know the security codes to my old place?”

“Yeah, I remember them.”

“Good…then you can go there.”

“Thanks, Misaki.” Relief rushing out of him and some of the weight bearing down on his chest disappeared. “You can’t…no matter what, Misaki…you can’t tell Mao. Not that I’m gone…or where I am.”

Misaki huffed out a laugh. “I can’t promise that. But if he comes to me asking where you are…I’ll only tell him that you’re safe.”

“Thanks, Misaki. And you’re wrong, he won’t come looking for me,” he said, ending the call before Misaki could argue otherwise and headed for the apartment building Misaki had once based his little spy operations out of before all the shit had gone down with Matty Okari—a man who’d not only been Misaki’s best friend and sometimes lover, but had been a spy for the Kilpatrick Group.

 *

Misaki carefully placed his phone on the desk and stared at it in disbelief. Greertown wasn’t the same city it had been twelve months ago, what with a new group trying to elbow its way into Omori-Vasilev territory. But what he’d never expected to change was Jun and Mao’s relationship, despite noticing the weird tension that had sprung up between them. Every relationship went through rough patches and Misaki had assumed the pair would quickly resolve whatever it was…they were far too levelheaded to suffer like he, Aidan, and Kristof had at the start of their relationship. Better at communicating for one, though he was beginning to wonder if that was true when Mao was so completely oblivious to his husband’s unhappiness.

He glanced at his door and groaned. Misaki wondered if he’d made a mistake in promising Jun that he wouldn’t tell Mao anything—not that Jun had moved out or where he’d gone to. Mistake or not, he’d given his word. Misaki was a lot of things, a notorious flirt, a snarky shit who loved to bait his friends, and a nosey bastard who knew how to turn on the charm. What he wasn’t though was a man who broke his promises. Right or wrong, Jun’s secret would remain safe with him.

It wasn’t only the demise of his friends’ marriage that worried Misaki, but whether Mao’s ambitious desire to rule the entire country—its underworld at least—meant other issues were escaping his attention. They could ill-afford their illustrious leader to be distracted when a new enemy was stalking members of the Syndicate. Each of them had very specific skill sets, but it was Mao who managed to pull them together and wield them like a weapon against their enemies. He was the one they relied upon to handle delicate negotiations whether that was with rival groups such as the Kilpatrick Group and the Valdez Cartel, or local government officials. None of them could afford the disaster that’d befall them all as they tripped over each other while fighting a common enemy. Friendly fire might see the uneasy alliances they’d already formed fracture.

Misaki’s hands were tied. He could only pray that Mao would soon realise the error of his ways and grovel for forgiveness at his husband’s feet.

He blew out a harsh breath and swallowed back the sharp curses that wanted to slip free of his throat as knuckles rapped heavily on his office door. Misaki pushed back his frustration, the anger he felt toward Mao on Jun’s behalf, and replaced it with his usual charming self, perfecting it while he strode across to the door.

“Mao…I was beginning to wonder you’d gotten to,” Misaki greeted his friend as he swung the door wide open and gestured for the man enter. “Do you want a glass of something while we discuss business?” he asked.

**********

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